A place
once known for its lumbering company, is now known as a town that holds, “The
biggest little 4th in
the north" (Barton
City Michigan In Alcona County) . Every 4th of July thousands of locals, tourists,
and out of townies, come to Barton City to celebrate Independence Day
in their 2 day festival. That consists of a parade, competitions, food and
fireworks. I’m happy to say that I was able to be a part of the festivities.
Barton City is surrounded by a captivating
forest. While hiking through this forest, my fiancé and I found a path that led
in many directions. One side led further into the woods where we found an
undisturbed meadow. While walking through this meadow you can feel the effect
of serenity take over. My body became still, and senses heighten. The breath I
took was pure with the smells of lavender, lilac, spruce and pine. Along the
other path the forest breaks into sand and a hidden lake manifests. After setting
foot onto the luxurious mineral beach, I could feel a breeze ever so slightly
brush across my skin; the feeling is crisp from cascading off the water,
allowing a sedative effect to subdue my body. The final path leads us on a dirt
road, and after making a peaceful stroll up a hill, a small town appears.
This
small town is known as Barton City. It’s a special town that resides in
northern Michigan with a population of 600 people
The Parade
Independence
Day started off with a parade. There were so many people in such a little
town. Families, friends, and tourists
filled up each side of Trask Lake Road with lawn chairs, blankets, four
wheelers, bikes, and trucks. The parade began with different types of floats,
candy and beads were thrown to the crowd. Veterans walked, classic cars were
shown, music was performed and clowns danced around. While walking along the
side of road I could see and feel all the joy in each and every person. There
was a little girl jumping and saying, “Mom, mom,” and she gave such a big smile
when her mother waved back to her from one of the floats.
The Park
Once
the parade was over and all the children picked up the candy from the street.
It was time for some competitions in the park. The grease pole was one of my
favorites to watch. A volunteer placed money on top of a flag pole and then greased
it up. One by one children would try and climb up it. They stacked one right at
top of the other, and with one wrong move, all of them fell back down to the
ground, just to get up and try again. They would then head over to the saw dust
pile to do some hunting for more candy and money, and then out into baseball
diamond to relay races. 
The
adults held a horseshoe tournament that lasted for most of the day. As I walked
across the park, I could hear on going cheers and countless dings of horse
shoes smacking around poles and hitting backboard. Dirt was flying everywhere,
and as I got closer some even landed into my beer cup! I saw that as a
challenge, so my fiancée and I joined in on the fun. After the tournament most
of the players would head over to the beer tent and converse amongst one
another about the game. (I saw this as the perfect time to leave my fiancée
behind.) Others headed over to the main
park pavilion to dance and give their requests to the DJ, and my mother and I
decided to head over to the bingo tent.
Food
Eventually
it was time to eat and we headed over to the food pavilion. There were all
sorts of different kinds of food. Some of our choices were: hot dogs with chili
on top, mushroom Swiss burger, pulled pork sandwich, pizza, and so many more.
All came with a soda and a bag of chips for around $5.50. That was a great
price! I chose the hot dogs with chili on top, and it was perfect. I like a
little spice to my chili and these hot dogs had just the right amount of heat.
I enjoyed a bag of salt and vinegar chips, all washed down with a Bud Light. (I
skipped the soda and had a beer for $2 more.)
Fireworks
In the middle of this little town there is Jewel Lake and in the center of that, a small island occupied with woodland.
Once
dusk hit, all visitors and locals gather around the lake to watch the firework
display. The sight was hypnotic to watch. I was able to enjoy the view from one
of the beach sides with my fiancée. We put down beach towels and lay across
them. The captivating night sky was beating with stars, waiting to be
illuminated by light and sound from the fireworks. With each crackle and pop the
night sky burst with color and the lake mirrored the sky. The finale was mystifying and left everyone
is awe. Slowly everyone began heading back to their homes and camp sites. The
stars beamed through the night sky again. The wind came through the forest
wrestling with the leaves and branches. The creatures of the night sang their
late night songs, and the burning fire slightly crackled down.
The Town Breakfast
After
having such a long night filled with fun and entertainment. The following morning
Barton city had “pancakes in the park.” Freshly prepared pancakes of all sorts were stacked
high and free to eat for all who came. This really gave me the impression that
Barton City is a proud community who enjoy making their guests feel at home. I
know I did as I swallowed my last bite of banana & chocolate chip pancakes!
The day was filled with people reminiscing about the 4th of July
event and wondering what to expect for the next year. I really enjoyed my trip here;
this is a place and an event that I plan on attending many years to come.
References
Barton City Michigan In
Alcona County. (n.d.). Retrieved
from Alcona County Chamber of Commerce :
http://www.alconacountychamberofcommerce.com/towns/bartoncity.htm
Barton City, MI Population. (n.d.). Retrieved from American Towns:
http://www.americantowns.com/mi/bartoncity/info/population
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Barton
City, Michigan. Retrieved from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barton_City,_Michigan
